I just finished writing a difficult letter. For years I have supported the Royal District Nursing Service as much as my means permitted. As I wrote a few weeks ago, they have undergone a change of name.
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A recent letter persuaded me that they have also changed their values. So with regret, I've now sent them this letter -
Mr Stephen Muggleton
Bolton Clarke
Level 3
44 Musk Avenue
KELVIN GROVE QLD 4059
29 September 2017
Dear Mr Muggleton,
Cessation of Support
I refer to your letter dated September 2017 soliciting a donation of $970.00. I was staggered to receive a request for a donation of that magnitude.
I was a longstanding supporter of the Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) after witnessing the care its nurses gave to my grandmother in the mid-1990s. The home visits she received, and the relief this gave to my family, was priceless. I was also very proud to help fund work that provided nursing care to the homeless, isolated and disadvantaged.
The organization now called “Bolton Clarke” is not the service I was proud to support. Based on its 2016 Annual Report, and on its Facebook activity, and indeed on your letter of September 2017, Bolton Clarke appears to be simply a provider of retirement living options. Nursing appears to be little more than a fragment of its activity, preferably delivered over the internet. Personal contact seems to be viewed as a luxury. Care for the disadvantaged has apparently ceased altogether.
In the circumstances, a request for a donation which represents (for me) nearly two weeks’ wages is astonishing. With very deep regret I advise that I will not be supporting your organization further. I have instructed my solicitor to redraw my will to remove the clause making a bequest to the RDNS. While my values have not changed, it appears that your organization’s have.
Yours faithfully,
Stephen TuckHas this happened to you? Have you ever needed to give up supporting an organization because it stopped being something you could support?
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